Explain the Bible: How many children did Jacob have? How many children did Jacob have? Question from Bryan: How many children did Jacob have? 15? Answer from Pastor Bob: Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) had 12 sons (see Genesis 29:31 -30:24 and 35:16-19.) He also had one daughter who was named, Dinah (Genesis 30:21), and there are references to other daughters, but they are not named (Genesis 37:35; 46:7). Thus he had more than 13 children, but we do not know the exact number. The 12 sons formed the twelve tribes of Israel. Often, the two sons of Joseph (Jacob's grandsons) are each counted as a tribe. They were Ephraim and Manasseh. But the priestly tribe of Levi, which lived in cities and had no land, is left out of the count to keep the number at 12 tribes assigned portions of the Promised Land.

NOTE: Thanks to Pastor Donnie Brannen for pointing out the plural "daughters" in Genesis 37:35 and 46:7, which I missed and had to add here later. Posted by Daily Bible Study - Children Of Jacob Questions? Search all 6,500+ Bible studies on this website. Just type in topic word(s) or a question. Due to extensive use of high-quality maps and illustrations, this educational website is best-viewed with a minimum screen-resolution width of 1280 pixels Children Of Jacob by Wayne Blank The grandson of Abraham , and the son of Isaac , Jacob is a key individual of Bible History . God changed Jacob's name to Israel (see Stairway To Heaven ), and from his sons came the Tribes of Israel - the Israelites. Jacob had 2 wives, Rachel and Leah (who were sisters, and first-cousins of Jacob), and 2 concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah, an apparently common and accepted practice of the day. Rachel and Leah did not object to the other two women because it was their idea to have more children with them (Genesis 30:3,9). Rachel - Jacob's favorite wife.

She died while giving birth to Benjamin and is buried at Bethlehem . Her children were Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph - 11th-born overall. Definitely his father's favorite son, from his favorite wife, it was Joseph who was sold for slavery into Egypt by his jealous brothers (see Coat Of Many Colors ). There, with God's help, he rose to become the highest official of the Pharaoh , saving the nation from the famine that was prophesied. When the rest of Jacob's family moved to Egypt to escape the famine, it was Joseph who had made their survival possible (they would remain in Egypt 400 years, eventually becoming slaves until the Exodus). While there, Joseph had 2 sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were themselves made into individual tribes of Israel to bring the number back to 12 - the priestly tribe of Levi was not counted separately, but was absorbed among the other tribes. Ephraim - Younger than Manasseh, he was never the less ranked higher in the family structure (Genesis 48:19). His descendants were to become a great future group of nations.

Manasseh - 1st-born of Joseph, he was prophesied to become a great single nation. Benjamin - The youngest of the 12 sons. Rachel died while giving him birth. The apostle Paul (see On The Road To Damascus ), who wrote much of the New Testament, is descended from Benjamin. Leah - It seems that Jacob did not have a great deal of love for her, perhaps because she became his wife by deception (Genesis 29:16-30). Never the less, Leah is the mother of the greatest number of the Tribes of Israel, and is today buried with Jacob (along with Abraham, Sarah , Isaac and Rebekah) in the high-tension area of The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Her children are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Israel's only recorded daughter, Dinah. Reuben - 1st-born overall. He was disqualified from his position as eldest son when he committed an act of sexual immorality with Jacob's concubine Bilhah (Genesis 35:22). Simeon - 2nd-born overall.

Levi - 3rd-born overall. From Levi came the Levites who were dedicated to God's service. As such, they were later not counted as a separate tribe. Moses and Aaron and John The Baptist were descended from Levi. Judah - 4th-born overall. Perhaps the most famous of Jacob's sons, it was from Judah that the Jews are descended. Jesus Christ (see also The Chosen People ), and most Christians in the earliest days of the church, were descended from Judah. A vital element for understanding Bible Prophecy is that while all Jews are Israelites, not all Israelites are Jews (just the same as all Belgians are Europeans, but not all Europeans are Belgians). There are many millions of people around the world today who are Israelites, but are not Jews. Issachar - 9th-born overall. Zebulun - 10th-born overall. Dinah - Israel's only daughter. Bilhah - Rachel's maid, it was Rachel's idea that Jacob have children with her (Genesis 30:3-6). Her children were Dan and Naphtali. Dan - 5th-born overall. Naphtali - 6th-born overall.

Zilpah - Leah's maid, it was Leah's idea that Jacob have children with her (Genesis 30:9). Her children were Gad and Asher. Gad - 7th-born overall. Asher - 8th-born overall. Fact Finder: When he knew that he was dying, did Jacob specifically request that he be taken out from Egypt and buried in the family tomb in Hebron? Genesis 49:29-33 How many descendants did Jacob have? - Errancy.com Errancy.com How many descendants did Jacob have? Posted on Oct.04, 2009. Filed in Exodus , Genesis . Average rating: 2.5 / 10 ( Rate It ). The twelve tribes of Israel descended from the sons and grandsons of Jacob, but the Bible shows evidence of some confusion as to precisely how many descendants Jacob had. Genesis gives a comprehensive list that shows that Jacob had seventy-one descendants. This list is in four sections, one for each of Jacob’s wives, beginning with Leah: Now these are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his offspring, who came to Egypt.

Reuben [1], Jacob’s firstborn, and the children of Reuben: Hanoch [2], Pallu [3], Hezron [4], and Carmi [5]. The children of Simeon [6]: Jemuel [7], Jamin [8], Ohad [9], Jachin [10], Zohar [11], and Shaul [12], the son of a Canaanite woman. The children of Levi [13]: Gershon [14], Kohath [15], and Merari [16]. The children of Judah [17]: Er [18], Onan [19], Shelah [20], Perez [21], and Zerah [22] (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the children of Perez were Hezron [23] and Hamul [24]. The children of Issachar [25]: Tola [26], Puvah [27], Jashub [28], and Shimron [29].

The children of Zebulun [30]: Sered [31], Elon [32], and Jahleel [33] (these are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah [34]; in all his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three). [Genesis 46:8-15, NRSV] So Jacob had six sons through Leah (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun) who together had twenty-seven children, making thirty-three, and also a daughter (Dinah) making thirty-four. The list then continues with Jacob’s descendants through Zilpah: The children of Gad [35]: Ziphion [36], Haggi [37], Shuni [38], Ezbon [39], Eri [40], Arodi [41], and Areli [42]. The children of Asher [43]: Imnah [44], Ishvah [45], Ishvi [46], Beriah [47], and their sister Serah [48].

The children of Beriah: Heber [49] and Malchiel [50] (these are the children of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah; and these she bore to Jacob–sixteen persons). [Genesis 46:16-18, NRSV] So in addition to the thirty-four descendants that Jacob had through Leah, he had a further sixteen through Zilpah, making fifty in total. Next to be numbered are Jacob’s descendants through Rachel: The children of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph [51] and Benjamin [52]. To Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh [53] and Ephraim [54], whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. The children of Benjamin: Bela [55], Becher [56], Ashbel [57], Gera [58], Naaman [59], Ehi [60], Rosh [61], Muppim [62], Huppim [63], and Ard [64] (these are the children of Rachel, who were born to Jacob–fourteen persons in all).

[Genesis 46:19-22, NRSV] These fourteen descendants take the running total to sixty-four. The list concludes with Jacob’s descendants through Bilhah: The children of Dan [65]: Hashum [66]. The children of Naphtali [67]: Jahzeel [68], Guni [69], Jezer [70], and Shillem [71] (these are the children of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and these she bore to Jacob–seven persons in all). [Genesis 46:23-25, NRSV] In all, then, this list names seventy-one descendants of Jacob. This number is confirmed is the following verse, which reads: All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own offspring, not including the wives of his sons, were sixty-six persons in all.

[Genesis 46:26, NRSV] This verse, which states that sixty-six of Jacob’s descendants came with him into Egypt, confirms that Jacob had seventy-one descendants, because we know that five of his descendants did not come with him into Egypt: the two children of Judah who died in Canaan (Er and Onan), and Joseph and his two children (Manasseh and Ephraim) who were already in Egypt. Unfortunately, Exodus 1:5 states plainly that Jacob had only seventy descendants: “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. The total number of people born to Jacob was seventy.” [Exodus 1:1-5a, NRSV] So how many descendants did Jacob have, seventy-one or only seventy? N.B. All posts are written in a style sympathetic to the claim of Biblical error, even in cases where the author ("Errancy") disagrees with the claim. See the About page for the site's philosophy.

Jacob in the Bible Was Father of the 12 Tribes of Israel By Jack Zavada Updated August 08, 2016. Jacob was one of the great patriarchs of the Old Testament, but at times he was also a schemer, liar, and manipulator. God established his covenant with Jacob's grandfather, Abraham . The blessings continued through Jacob's father, Isaac , then to Jacob and his descendants. Jacob's sons became leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel . The younger of twins, Jacob was born holding on to his brother Esau 's heel. His name means "he grasps the heel" or "he deceives." Jacob lived up to his name. He and his mother Rebekah cheated Esau out of his birthright and blessing. Later in Jacob's life, God renamed him Israel, which means "he struggles with God." In fact, Jacob struggled with God his entire life, as many of us do. As he matured in faith , Jacob depended on God more and more. But the turning point for Jacob came after a dramatic, all-night wrestling match with God. In the end, the Lord touched Jacob's hip and he was a broken man, but also a new man.

From that day forward, Jacob was called Israel. And for the rest of his life he walked with a limp, demonstrating his dependence on the Lord. Jacob finally learned to give up control to God. Jacob's story teaches us how an imperfect person can be greatly blessed by God--not because of who he or she is, but because of who God is. Accomplishments of Jacob in the Bible Jacob in the Bible account fathered 12 sons, who became leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel. One of them was Joseph, a key figure in the Old Testament. His name is frequently associated with God in the Bible: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob persevered in his love for Rachel. He proved to be a hard worker. Jacob's Strengths Jacob was clever. Sometimes this trait worked for him, and sometimes it backfired on him. He used both his mind and strength to build his wealth and family. Jacob's Weaknesses Sometimes Jacob made his own rules, deceiving others for selfish gain. He did not trust God to work things out. Even though God revealed himself to Jacob in the Bible, Jacob took a long time to become a true servant of the Lord.

He favored Joseph over his other sons, leading to jealousy and strife within his family. Life Lessons The sooner we trust God in life, the longer we will benefit from his blessings. When we fight God, we are in a losing battle. We often worry about missing the will of God for our life, but God works with our mistakes and bad decisions. His plans cannot be upset. Hometown Canaan. References to Jacob in the Bible Jacob's story is found in Genesis chapters 25-37, 42, 45-49. His name is mentioned throughout the Bible in connection with God: "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Occupation Shepherd, prosperous owner of sheep and cattle. Family Tree: Sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali Daughter: Dinah Key Verses Genesis 28:12-15 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.

I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." ( NIV ) Genesis 28:20-22 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's household, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." (NIV) Genesis 32:28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome." (NIV) 732 Klein College Who were Jacobן¿½s daughters and granddaughters? Several verses in the Torah indicate that Jacob had not only sons and grandsons, but also daughters and granddaughters.ן¿½ In this weekן¿½s portion we read, ן¿½All his sons and daughters sought to comfort himן¿½ (Gen.

37:35), and, at the conclusion of the Joseph story, ן¿½he brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughtersן¿½ (Gen. 46:7).ן¿½ But according to the genealogical list in Genesis 46:8-27, Jacob had only one daughter ן¿½ Dinah ן¿½ and one granddaughter ן¿½ Serah, daughter of Asher. Ibn Ezra comments on the first verse which we cited: ן¿½ ן¿½All his daughters ן¿½ his daughter and the granddaughter born to his son,ן¿½ i.e. Dinah and Asherן¿½s daughter Serah, who are the only female progeny of Jacob explicitly mentioned in the Torah.ן¿½ According to Ibn Ezra, the word ן¿½daughtersן¿½ refers to all of Jacob's female progeny.ן¿½ This explanation, however, does not accord with what we read in the second verse cited here, which mentions daughters and granddaughters separately.

ן¿½ Therefore, at the second verse he offers a different explanation: His daughters -- consisted only of Dinah. ן¿½ Perhaps Dinah had some young maidservants who grew up with her, and for the sake of his daughter Scripture referred to them as Jacobן¿½s daughters, since they grew up in his household, just as we have the expression, 'the sons of Michal' (2Sam21:8), and likewise ן¿½'and his granddaughters' ן¿½ for it is all the same thing. The Midrash solves the problem differently: ן¿½ ן¿½His daughters ן¿½ the Rabbis said this was Dinah, and his granddaughters-- Asherן¿½s daughter Serah. ן¿½ Likewise Scripture says, Danן¿½s sons: Hushim (Gen. 46:23), and descendants of Pallu:ן¿½ Eliab (Num.

46:8).ן¿½ [1] ן¿½ According to this midrash, the fact that Scripture uses the plural in referring to Dinah and Serah presents no problem, for this is the way of the Bible: collective nouns appear in the plural, even if their components are singular. Jacob's Daughters-in-law Another question is whom Jacobן¿½s sons married.ן¿½ Abraham first appears in the Torah as a married man, and much attention is paid to the selection of spouses for Isaac and Jacob, the emphasis being on the aversion to their marrying local Canaanite women, who belong to a cursed ethnic group:ן¿½ ן¿½Cursed be Canaan; the lowest of slaves shall he be to his brothersן¿½ (Gen. 9:25). ן¿½ But the Torah gives us no identification of the women whom Jacobן¿½s sons married, save for Joseph, who married an Egyptian woman, Asenath daughter of Poti-phera, [2] and Judah, who we are told married a Canaanite woman, daughter of Shua.

[3] ן¿½ Rashi resolves these two difficulties with the help of the following midrash, citing a disagreement between Rabbi Judah and Rabbi Nehemiah: Rabbi Judah says:ן¿½ Twin sisters were born to each and every tribe, and it was they whom they married.ן¿½ Rabbi Nehemiah says:ן¿½ They were Canaanite; and ן¿½all his daughtersן¿½ [he had only one, Dinah] means none other than his daughters-in-law, [4] since a person may call his son-in-law ן¿½sonן¿½ and his daughter-in-law, ן¿½daughter.ן¿½ Rashiן¿½s interpretation raises numerous questions, both according to Rabbi Judahן¿½s view and according to Rabbi Nehemiahן¿½s view.

1) ן¿½ Rabbi Judahן¿½s view: ן¿½ ן¿½Twin sisters were born to each and every tribe, and it was they whom they married.ן¿½ ן¿½ How were they permitted to marry their twin sisters?ן¿½ The midrash also says that Cain and Abel married their sisters, but then they had no other choice.ן¿½ So, the only explanation remains that given by Nahmanides (Gen. 38:2):ן¿½ ן¿½The sons of Leah would have to marry the twin sisters of the six other tribes, and those tribes, their twins,ן¿½ so that each one would marry a sister by their father but not by their mother, [5] and then such marriages would not be forbidden to descendants of Noah.

ן¿½ Nevertheless, Daן¿½at Zekenim , the Tosafist anthology of commentaries, asks:ן¿½ Given the view that our patriarchs obeyed all the laws of the Torah, even to the extent of observing eruv tavshilin, how could Jacobן¿½s sons have married their sisters, even if only from the same father?ן¿½ He resolves this question by saying that since the patriarchs had not been commanded the laws of the Torah, even though they knew them through sacred inspiration, ן¿½that which they wished to observe they observed, and that which they wished to neglect they neglected.ן¿½ [6] Nahmanidesן¿½ commentary also does not accord with the formulation in the midrash, which speaks of twin sisters and not regular sisters, so the intention of the midrash was apparently that the Holy One, blessed be He, intended in this manner to provide each of Jacobן¿½s sons with the wife destined for him, similarly as happened with Cain and Abel. ן¿½ However, as we noted, this was not essential, and therefore it was forbidden.

ן¿½ Why were the twin sisters not counted in the reckoning of the number of Israelites who descended to Egypt? ן¿½ Elsewhere (Gen. 46:26) Rashi has an answer to this:ן¿½ ן¿½As for those who say that twin sisters were born to each of the tribes, they must have died before the descent to Egypt, for they are not counted here.ן¿½ ן¿½ Rabbi Judah maintains that Jacobן¿½s sons married their twin sisters since, in his opinion, it was out of the question that they might marry Canaanite women, and when Genesis 38:2 says, ן¿½There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her,ן¿½ this is to indicate that Judah, in contrast, did marry a Canaanite woman.ן¿½ Following Targum Jonathan, Rashi explains that ן¿½Canaaniteן¿½ means ן¿½merchant,ן¿½ so it turns out that even Judahן¿½s wife was not Canaanite.

[7] ן¿½ Also Tamar is claimed by some not to have been Canaanite.ן¿½ For example, Nahmanides (loc. sit.): Tamar was the daughter of one of the residents of the land, not the daughter of a man Canaanite affiliation, for it is unspeakable that our liege David and the Messiah ן¿½ may he speedily be revealed to us ן¿½ be of the seed of the accursed slave, Canaan. ן¿½ Our Sages said (Genesis Rabbah 85.10) that Tamar was the daughter of Shem, a priest to El-Elyon, the sublime G-d. According to the plain sense of the text, also Simeon married a Canaanite woman, for it says (Gen.

46:10):ן¿½ ן¿½Simeonן¿½s sons: ן¿½ and Saul the son of a Canaanite woman.ן¿½ן¿½ Targum Jonathan explains that Saul was the same as Zimri, the one who did the work of the Canaanites at Shittim [by having relations with Kozbi, a Canaanite] (Number 25).ן¿½ ן¿½ Rashi, following the midrash, explains: ן¿½ ן¿½The son of a Canaanite woman (Gen.38:2) ן¿½ the son of Dinah, who was taken as wife by a Canaanite man. ן¿½ When Shechem was killed, Dinah did not want to return until Simeon swore that he would marry her.ן¿½ן¿½ Ibn Ezra, in contrast, remains true to the plain sense of Scripture and explains that although the wives of Judah and Simeon were Canaanites, their behavior was exceptional; moreover, Judah was even punished for marrying a Canaanite.

2) ן¿½ Rabbi Nehemiahן¿½ view: ן¿½ ן¿½They were Canaanite women.ן¿½ ן¿½ How could Scripture possibly call Jacobן¿½s daughters-in-law his ן¿½daughtersן¿½?ן¿½ Rashi handles this question himself, answering that it is common for a person to call his daughters-in-law daughters. ן¿½ Nahmanides adds that this also follows from other instances in the Bible: Thus Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, ן¿½Turn back, my daughters,ן¿½ ן¿½Oh no, my daughters!ן¿½ (Ruth 1:11-13), ן¿½Yes, daughter, goן¿½ (Ruth 2:2).ן¿½ But it can also be an expression of endearment, as in ן¿½Listen to me, daughterן¿½ (Ruth 2:8). Nahmanides add this last comment because Boaz called Ruth ן¿½daughterן¿½ as a term of endearment, not as a father-in-law.

ן¿½ Why did Jacobן¿½s sons marry Canaanite women? ן¿½ Why did they not follow the example of Isaac and Jacob, who made an effort to find an appropriate spouse from Abrahamן¿½s kin, outside the land of Canaan?ן¿½ Rabbi Elhanan Samet tries to explain why Jacobן¿½s sons did not have to worry about the ethnic origin of their spouses: It was no longer necessary for Jacobן¿½s sons to take care as Isaac and Jacob had done, marrying a woman specifically from the family in Haran, and not one of the Canaanite daughters. ן¿½ This difference between Isaac and Jacob, on one hand, and their descendants, on the other, stems from the different circumstances of their marriages:ן¿½ Isaac and Jacob stood alone, and had they married local women they would have been likely to become assimilated into their wivesן¿½ families. ן¿½ Jacobן¿½s family, in contrast, was already quite large ן¿½ an emergent nation ן¿½ and any woman whom Jacobן¿½s sons might marry would become assimilated into the family.

[8] ן¿½ According to Rabbi Samet, Jacobן¿½s twelve sons constituted a critical mass that was sufficiently large to take in Canaanite women without harm.ן¿½ Nahmanides, however, does not take Rabbi Nehemiahן¿½s words at face value, rather he holds that ן¿½Jacobן¿½s sons took care not to marry Canaanite women, as their father had been commanded by Isaac, and Abraham as well, ן¿½ and their wives were Egyptian, Ammonite, Moabite and relatives of the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Keturah.ן¿½ Another Solution In order to resolve the differences between two contradictory passages, i.e., the two above-cited verses that mention Jacob's daughters and granddaughters, on one hand, and the detailed list of all his progeny, which includes only one daughter and one granddaughter, on the other, we must consider another aspect of the ן¿½plain sense of the text.ן¿½ ן¿½ One must consider not only ן¿½the flow of the biblical text ן¿½ as it is written ן¿½ in terms of the syntactic connection between words

 and the substantive connection of content between sentences,ן¿½ [9] but also the likelihood of the interpretation, according to the guidance given by Rabbi Saadiah Gaon, [10] and by Maimonides, following in his lead:ן¿½ ן¿½We should flee far away from any change of the order of Creation.ן¿½ [11] ן¿½ This is also the position taken by Rashbam, as put by Arend: Rashbam interprets according to reason and logic, that is, according to the rational approach that characterizes ן¿½lovers of reason" (ohavei sekhel).

ן¿½ן¿½ Rashbam, in contrast to Rashi, interprets in line with human nature, that is, on the basis of human experience and the ways of mankind, without having to turn to supernatural elements that are not corroborated by the Prophets or stated explicitly in Scripture.

[12] How could it be that the patriarch Jacob had only one daughter but twelve sons, and how could it be that among all his offspring in general there would be only two females?ן¿½ Although it is within the power of the Holy One, blessed be He, to make exceptional cases, there is no hint of this in the biblical account, nor is it clear why the Holy One, blessed be He, should have made such an exceptional case.ן¿½ Rashiן¿½s approach can be similarly refuted:ן¿½ how could it be that all the women died before the descent to Egypt, as maintained by Rabbi Judah.ן¿½ Therefore, Rabbi Samuel David Luzzato explains the verse as follows: My mentor, Rabbi Abraham Grigo says that other daughters were born to Jacob, but only Dinah was mentioned because of the affair concerning her; for everywhere in recounting the history of our early generations Scripture mentions only the males and those females to whom some noteworthy event occurred or who were themselves famous in one way or another.ן¿½ It seems to me that Jacob and his sons undoubtedly had other daughters, but they were not included in the count of seventy persons because they married their nephews and cousins, just as

 Jocheved married Amram; and it says, ן¿½aside from the wives of Jacobן¿½s sonsן¿½ (Gen.

46:26).ן¿½ Hence they were not counted [since they were all included in the "wives of Jacob's sons who were not included in the tally], save for Dinah and Serah, who apparently were mentioned because they were single. [13] According to Shadal, following Rabbi Abraham Grigo, Jacob and his sons had daughters, as would necessarily follow from the plain sense of the text coupled with the laws of nature, but they were not included in the reckoning of seventy persons because they married Jacobן¿½s offspring, and Scripture states explicitly that the wives of Jacobן¿½s sons were not included. ן¿½ Dinah was mentioned because of the affair with Shechem, and Asherן¿½s daughter Serah was mentioned because she was famous. ן¿½ The Bible does not speak of this, but the midrash enlightens us in this matter. [14] ן¿½ Both were counted because they did not marry offspring of Jacob, rather remained single.

[15] ן¿½ According to Shadalן¿½s interpretation, the words ן¿½his daughtersן¿½ and ן¿½his granddaughtersן¿½ should be taken at face value.

ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן

¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ן¿½ [1] Cited in Torah Shelemah, Parashat Va-Yigash, p.

1677. [2] According to legend (Yalkut Shimoni on Parashat Ve-Yishlah, par. 134), Asenath was the daughter of Shechem and Dinah. Genesis 46:19 The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. Matthew Henry Commentary 46:5-27 We have here a particular account of Jacob's family. Though the fulfilling of promises is always sure, yet it is often slow. It was now 215 years since God had promised Abraham to make of him a great nation, ch. 12:2; yet that branch of his seed, to which the promise was made sure, had only increased to seventy, of whom this particular account is kept, to show the power of God in making these seventy become a vast multitude. Jacob’s Children and their Mothers | Resources | American Bible Society Jacob’s Children and their Mothers Note: The numbers after Jacob’s children’s names indicate their birth order as given in Genesis 29,30; 35.16-26. See the mini-article called Israel , for more about how the tribes of Israel were descended from Jacob’s twelve sons.

Thanks to the support of our faithful financial partners, American Bible Society has been engaging people with the life-changing message of God’s Word for nearly 200 years. Help us share God's Word where needed most. Sign up to receive regular email updates from the Bible Resource Center. Also receive Bible-reading tips, tools and resources. Rachel & Leah - Women of the Bible | The Living Word Library The Living Word library Home > Bible studies > Women of the bible > Rachel & Leah - Women of the Bible Date: 06 August 2013 | Author: Dele Oke Rachel & Leah - Women of the Bible Genesis Chapters 29 - 35 Introduction Rachel and Leah were two sisters who married the same man - Jacob. Their father, Laban, was Jacob's uncle. Laban was a farmer. Unsurprisingly Rachel's name means 'ewe' - a female sheep. Sheep can be docile animals. Leah means a wild cow or ox. The Bible describes Rachel as having 'a lovely figure and was beautiful' while leah was unattractive (Genesis 29:17). The story Jacob was a cheat.

He lied to his father, stole his brother Esau's birthright and then had to make a quick escape from home to avoid getting murdered for this sins (Genesis 27). Not the ideal way to start one’s life. Fleeing revenge from Esau he arrived at Laban's house. He immediately fell in love with the beautiful Rachel, but little did he know that Laban, a relative of his mother, was as dubious as he was. What a family! (Genesis 29). Rachel Laban saw a chance to make capital out of Jacob's love for Rachel. He required Jacob to work seven years for him in exchange for marrying Rachel(Genesis 29:15-18). The bible says 'So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.' (Genesis 29:19 NIV) Jacob however was in for a nasty shock. Just as he had deceived his own father many years ago (Genesis 27), so now Laban was to deceive him.

After seven years of hard work Laban tricked Jacob into marrying the older sister Leah - a lot of wine and a veil over the head of Leah during the wedding did the job. Jacob had to work another seven years before he could marry his beloved Rachel (Genesis 29). Both Rachel, Leah and Jacob were bitterly hurt by this deception (Genesis 31:14-16). Rachel's troubles had only just began. On marrying Jacob she found herself unable to have children while Leah gave birth to four - Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah (Genesis 29:31-35). Not to be out done Rachel asked Jacob to sleep with her maid Bilhah. This was in line with the custom of the day. Bilhah gave birth to two boys. Rachel named them Dan and Naphtali. This only intensified the rivalry between the two sisters. Leah asked Jacob to sleep with her maid Zilpah and she too gave birth to two sons - Gad and Asher. But this did not satisfy Leah.

As if to rob more salt into Rachel's wounds Leah herself got sexually active with Jacob again and gave birth to another two boys and one girl - Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah (Genesis 30). Here was a home where children were used as tools of revenge. It would not have been a pleasant place. Finally Rachel gave birth to a son herself. He was called Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24). Just when it looked like things were looking up for Rachel another twist comes. Laban and his sons were getting irritated at how well Jacob was doing. With hostility growing towards him Jacob decided it was time to do a run again. Both Leah and Rachel happily agreed to go back to his home with him (Genesis 31). On the way back Rachel gave birth to another son called Benjamin. She died during child birth. She called the child's name Ben-oni, meaning son of my sorrow, but Jacob renamed him Benjamin - meaning son of my right hand (Genesis 35). The name Rachel gave to her son reflects the sorrow and hurt she lived through. We all need to be careful of the hurts and emotional wounds that may follow us from our background and circumstances in life.

These need to be dealt with. Only Jesus can heal these kinds of aliments. The remarks of Rachel and Leah in Genesis 31:14-15 (NIV) 'Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us' Indicate the hatred they had for their father. Couple this with the rivalry and bitterness between them in their married home and you get the picture of the situation they had to deal with. Rachel had every cause to be annoyed with her father. He had done her wrong. She and Jacob were very much in love and could have made a wonderful couple. Her father’s actions destroyed this. However, things did not have to go the way they did. Rachel's life should stand out as a warning for us and not a mirror of our life. God can turn these kind of situations around for us today if we serve Him and love Him with all our heart (Romans 8:28). If you love God you will forgive those that have hurt you and refuse to harbour bitterness in your heart against them.

Bitterness destroys (Hebrews 12:15). It is in your own interest that you forgive. By God's grace and your will power you can forgive. After getting your heart right with God, you can then pray and break the curses that might have been let loose in your life because of the actions of other people. It might be helpful to ask other believers to pray with you. Ask God for healing and a restoration of all the things that evil has caused. Questions Genesis 48 CEV - Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Two Sons - Bible Gateway Genesis 48Contemporary English Version (CEV) Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Two Sons 48 Joseph was told that his father Jacob had become very sick. So Joseph went to see him and took along his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” Jacob sat up in bed, but it took almost all his strength. 3 Jacob told Joseph: God All-Powerful appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, where he gave me his blessing 4 and promised, “I will give you a large family with many descendants that will grow into a nation.

And I am giving you this land that will belong to you and your family forever.” 5 Then Jacob went on to say: Joseph, your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh were born in Egypt, but I accept them as my own, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children you have later will be considered yours, but their inheritance will come from Ephraim and Manasseh. 7 Unfortunately, your mother Rachel died in Canaan after we had left northern Syria[ a ] and before we reached Bethlehem.[ b ] And I had to bury her along the way. 8-10 Jacob was very old and almost blind. He did not recognize the two boys, and so he asked Joseph, “Who are these boys?” Joseph answered, “They are my sons. God has given them to me here in Egypt.” “Bring them to me,” Jacob said. “I want to give them my blessing.” Joseph brought the boys to him, and he hugged and kissed them. 11 Jacob turned to Joseph and told him, “For many years I thought you were dead and that I would never see you again.

But now God has even let me live to see your children.” 12 Then Joseph made his sons move away from Jacob’s knees,[ c ] and Joseph bowed down in front of him with his face to the ground. 13 After Joseph got up, he brought his two sons over to Jacob again. He led his younger son Ephraim to the left side of Jacob and his older son Manasseh to the right. 14 But before Jacob gave them his blessing, he crossed his arms, putting his right hand on the head of Ephraim and his left hand on the head of Manasseh. 15 Then he gave Joseph his blessing and said: My grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac worshiped the Lord God. He has been with me all my life, 16 and his angel has kept me safe. Now I pray that he will bless these boys and that my name and the names of Abraham and Isaac will live on because of them. I ask God to give them many children and many descendants as well. 17 Joseph did not like it when he saw his father place his right hand on the head of the younger son.

So he tried to move his father’s right hand from Ephraim’s head and place it on Manasseh. 18 Joseph said, “Father, you have made a mistake. This is the older boy. Put your right hand on him.” 19 But his father said, “Son, I know what I am doing. It’s true that Manasseh’s family will someday become a great nation. But Ephraim will be even greater than Manasseh, because his descendants will become many great nations.” 20 Jacob told him that in the future the people of Israel would ask God’s blessings on one another by saying, “I pray for God to bless you as much as he blessed Ephraim and Manasseh.” Jacob put Ephraim’s name first to show that he would be greater than Manasseh. 21 After that, Jacob said, “Joseph, you can see that I won’t live much longer. But God will be with you and will lead you back to the land he promised our family long ago.

22 Meanwhile, I’m giving you the hillside[ d ] I captured from the Amorites.” Footnotes: Dinah: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive Home › Collections › Encyclopedia › Dinah: Bible Dinah: Bible Dinah is the daughter of Jacob, the father of twelve sons (and thus the twelve tribes) in the ancestor narratives of Genesis. She is born to Leah after Leah has given birth to six sons. Leah names her (Gen 34:21), as biblical women often did as part of the maternal role. Of Jacob’s daughters (others are noted in Gen 46:15), only Dinah is mentioned by name. The story of Dinah deals with the Israelites’ attempt to establish social boundaries for marriage. It seems to advocate an inclusive perspective (represented by Dinah and Jacob) in which, when mutual respect and honor characterize the relationship, cooperation and bonding (“give and take”) with outsiders (represented by Shechem, Hamor, and the Shechemites) can take place. The story is set during the ancestral period in the city of Shechem, the geographical center of a movement in which people of diverse backgrounds, customs, and religious beliefs merged to become the community of Israel.

Dinah goes out “to visit the women of the region” (the indigenous people, 34:1). The phrase implies an openness to and acceptance of outsiders. Dinah’s subsequent sexual intercourse with Shechem, the Hivite prince of the region, is the ultimate symbol of acceptance. And Hamor speaks to Jacob about “giving” his daughter in marriage to Shechem, in the same way that the Jacobites and Shechemites will "give and take” wives, live and trade in the same region, and hold property together peacefully. But separatist tendencies within Jacob’s community (represented by Simeon, Levi, and the other sons of Jacob) are threatened by this possibility and by Shechem’s intercourse with Dinah. They want to resist intermarriage. Their idea of “give and take” is “taking” the sword, killing all the Shechemite males, plundering the city, and taking their wives and children. The story passes “judgment” (the meaning of Dinah’s name) on their friendly attitude. The story invites two opposing interpretations. The traditional understanding is that Dinah has been raped by Shechem.

Her brothers Simeon and Levi retaliate by violently slaying and plundering Shechem, Hamor, and the Shechemite community. But the retaliation puts Jacob’s group in jeopardy by making subsequent social intercourse and peaceful coexistence impossible. Jacob thus reprimands his sons for their behavior. But concerning the question of whether Dinah has been raped, the final clue comes in the last sentence of the story. Simeon and Levi say, “Should our sister be treated like a whore?” (34:31). Prostitutes engage in sexual intercourse for financial gain, and their sexual actions involve mutual consent. Rape therefore does not characterize either prostitution or what has happened to Dinah. Furthermore, one of the purposes of sexual intercourse in the ancient world was to create permanent bonding and obligation; but in prostitution, there is no bonding or obligation. By saying that Dinah has become like a prostitute, Simeon and Levi might be suggesting that, from their perspective, Dinah and Shechem’s intercourse could never lead to bonding and obligation. They are not suggesting that she was raped. Upon hearing the news about his daughter, Jacob is at first silent; then he negotiates Dinah’s marriage to Shechem.

If Dinah has been raped, Jacob ignores his obligation to protect the women of his household and ignores Dinah’s suffering. This seems peculiar—does it suggest that Dinah was not raped? In the Hebrew Scriptures, rape is generally indicated by a cry for help from the woman (showing lack of consent) and violence on the part of the man (indicating a forcible, hostile act). But the intercourse of Shechem does not fit this pattern. Genesis 34:2 reports that he sees Dinah, takes her (the Hebrew word for “take” is often used for taking a wife), lies with her (a euphemism for sexual intercourse), and shames her (the NRSV combines the last two verbs, rendering “lay with her by force,” a reading that should be contested). Then the text (v. 3) provides three expressions of affection: first it says he bonds with her (the NRSV uses “was drawn” to her, but the word bonds more appropriately represents a word used for marital bonding), then that he loves her, and finally that he speaks tenderly to her. From this description Shechem appears to be a man in love, not a man committing an exploitative act of rape.

Rapists feel hostility and hatred toward their victims, not closeness and tenderness. So why does the text include the verb to shame (or to humble, put down), and why does it record that Jacob’s daughter has been “defiled” (34:5; compare 34:13, 27)? Shame, or intense humility, usually relates to failure to live up to societal goals and ideals. Because sexual intercourse should be part of marital bonding, it is shameful for an unmarried woman like Dinah to have sex. The declaration of love and desire for marriage comes after she and Shechem have intercourse. Furthermore, Dinah’s intercourse with Shechem makes her “defiled,” a term (Hebrew tm’) indicating here an unacceptable sexual act. The unacceptability of premarital sex in this case is intertwined with the response of Dinah’s brothers, who insist that Shechem’s requested marriage with her would be an unacceptable union. Ironically, if there is a rape in this story, it is Simeon and Levi who “rape” the people of Shechem’s city. It is their behavior that is violent, hostile, and exploitative.

Shechem’s desire for marital bonding stands in tension with Simeon and Levi’s determination that no such liaison take place. The tension between marriage within a group (endogamy) and marriage with outsiders (exogamy) is dramatized in this story of love and violence. The premarital sexual act is the narrative’s representation of the violation of group boundaries. Also, the fact that Shechem figures prominently first as a friend and then as a victim of Jacob’s group may prefigure what another biblical narrative reports—that Shechem is peacefully incorporated into Israel but then is violently destroyed (see Judges 9). Bibliography Bechtel, Lyn.“What If Dinah Is Not Raped? (Genesis 34).” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 62 (June 1994): 19–36. Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis. Atlanta: 1982; Sheres, Ita. Dinah’s Rebellion: A Biblical Parable for Our Times. New York: 1990. Meyers, Carol, General Editor. Women in Scripture. New York: 2000.

Question: In the Bible how many sons did Jacob have
Answer: Twelve